The UPEI Panthers have secured second place in AUS women’s soccer action, two points behind Dalhousie.
Sunday
Panthers 3 Acadia 0
Chelsea McInnis opened the scoring in the 13th minute, breaking in on the left wing and burying a shot in the lower right-hand corner.
Carolyn MacKenna extended the lead in the 72nd minute as she was in alone on the goaltender on a fine setup from Tessa Roche.
Roche scored the third goal of the game in 84th minute, heading in a 40-yard Sara Stewart free kick. It was Roche’s 42nd career goal, two short of the AUS record.
Acadia’s only quality chance was headed wide in the 57th minute.
“It may have been our best game of the season,’’ coach Mike Redmond said. “Three quality goals and we limited Acadia’s opportunities. Chelsea McInnis had a great weekend, scored early in both games to get us going.’’
Hanna Roche played her first game of the season, playing the full 90 minutes in place of the injured Allyson Seviour.
In eight games, the Panthers have only allowed one goal.
UPEI was clearly the best team on both days, continuing with strong defence.
Saturday
Panthers 2 Mt. Allison 0
This game was decided in the first five minutes as UPEI dominated early.
McInnis finished a cross from the right side in the second minute. Seviour connected three minutes later with a well struck 25-yard blast low to the keepers right.
The Panthers had eight corners, seven chances and six shots in the half compared to the Mounties only having one chance.
Seviour left the game at the half with what appeared to be a significant knee injury.
The pace of the game slowed in the second half as both teams recognized the game was out of reach for the Mounties.
Chanelle Roy made a fine hand save in the 60th minute after the Panthers turned the ball over deep in their own end.
Mount Allison was guilty on a number of reckless tackles and unsportsmanlike play. They were fortunate to get only one yellow card.
MENIt wasn’t pretty but the UPEI men’s soccer team squeaked a 3-2 victory over Acadia Sunday. The win gave the Panthers six points they desperately needed and puts them back in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Panthers started quick in the fifth minute when midfielder Dan McAleer easily scored on a spilled ball from the Axemen keeper from a cross from Jared Murphy. UPEI went up 2-0 in the 37th when striker Logan Dawson netted his first goal of the season off a Murphy corner kick. It was a UPEI dominated half that held Acadia without a chance. The second half was a different story as the Axemen fought their way back into the game with goals in the 48th and 56th minutes. It looked as though the game would end in a draw until the 66th minute when Jared Murphy pounced on a loose ball, catching the Acadia keeper out of his goal. A 35-yard chip gave the Panthers the game winner. “We got our six points and I thought our team effort was huge,” said UPEI player of the game Josh Vessey. The Panthers held a slight edge in shots, 12-11, with chances even at six apiece. Acadia outfouled the Panthers 16-10. On Saturday, UPEI downed Mount Allison 3-1.
